Hinge last



Patented Sept. 2, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,50 ,934 PATENT OFFICE;

WALTER A. KRENTLER, OF DETROIT, MIcfilGANa AsSIGNoR 'lO KRENTLER-ARNOLD HINGE LAST COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A. CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

HINGE LAST.

Application filed April 11, 1922. Serial No. 551,507.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER A. KRENrrER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented an Improvement in Hinge Lasts, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representlng' like parts.

My present invention relates to hinge lasts and more particularly to means for locking the last in extended position, as well as for the purpose of simplifying the construction and rendering lasts of this type more economical and more easilyfiexed or shortened for removing from the shoe. o In the manufacture of bootsand shoes it is important that a last have the forepart and heel part relatively movable for short ening the last to facilitate removal of the shoe as well as for rendering the last capable of ready insertion in a shoe when used as a follower or the like. In the type of hinge last now generally employed, it is of great importance to hold the last parts rig-i idly, firmly and positively in extended position, as the last is subjected to great pressures during the processes of shoe manufao ture at present employed, and therefore the.

last must be capable of resisting a breaking strain or stress while it must still be capable of readily being flexed or broken for the purpose of shortening the last and removing it from the shoe without damageto the completed shoe which has been made thereon. In prior hinge lasts of said type, such for example as that shown in my prior Patent No. 1,094c,153,issued April 21, 1914,

the last construction was illustrated whereina spring and cooperating locking members were relied upon to hold the last parts in extended position. My present invention is directed more particularly to utilize the very desirable features of the hinge connection and members in a hinge last having said hinge members concealed, protected and supported by the last portions as illustrated in said prior patent, but to eliminate the expense of the spring and cooperating locking devices. An important object is to simplify the construction of such a type of hinge last and yet to provide a positive, strong locking device readily adapted for movement into locking position and also readily removable when it is desired to flex or break the last. Further I have provided in the present last construction and cooperating locking instru-' tively locked position capable of-withstand ing the greatest strains and stresses to which an article of this type is subjected. This feature is of special importance, since heretofore locking devices have usually become useless as soon as a slight amount of wear has occurred, or they have necessitated continual adjustments and setting up. My present locking members automatically compen-' sate for wear to any reasonable extent by. the simple swinging of the locking device into engaging position. p A still further feature consists in the arrangement of the cooperating locking parts to constitute an all-metallic bearing, as distinguished from certain prior locking devices which had braces or bearing engagement with the wood of. the last. In such former cases the wood quickly became'roughened, damaged or indented, and necessarily loosened to a'considerable extent and in my present invention I have obviatedsuch a part of the hinge members as explained.

Further features and detailsofconstruction will be hereinafter more'fjully pointed out and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention,

F ig, l is a side view partly in cross section illustrating my locked position; I a

Fig. 2 is a View, partly in cross-section, illustrating the last in flexed or broken position;

Fig. 3 is a partly in cross-section, on the line 3+3 of Fig. 1; and

I Fig. 4 is a view, partly in cross-section,on the line 4t-4 of Fig. 1

Referring to the drawings, I have illustrated a last having a forepart 1 and heel I present'last in extended and fragmentary longitudinal view, 1

braced therein and held by a rivet or. pin I 5. In the heel part a recess 6 is formed to receive the heel plate '7, which plate is also pivoted to the wood of the last at 8, and a common pivot 10 unites the two members a and 7 and on the center of the knuckle joint. F or this purpose the tubular member 4 is slotted at the overlapping portion to afford a bearing for the plate 7 and also for the pivotal pin 10 as clearly shown in Fig. i. The construction as thus far explained is substantiallythe same as in my said prior patent and also in my more recent Patent 1,140,477. Thus I am enabled to take advantage of all the important features of the knuckle joint type of hinge, of the tubular bearing s and hinge plate 7, each rigidly secured to the respective last parts by pins remote from the line of cut and therefore in the solid wood of the last, while also taking advantage of the present practise in making and assembling hinged lasts of this type.

1 form the overlapping portions of the tube 4 and the plate 7 with a pair of cooperating ears or lugs, cutting the wood of the last appropriately therefor, the tube 1 having these lugs at either side of the slot made to receive the plate 7, the same being indicated at 12, the plate 7 having a similar cooperating lug 14, adapted to slide between the pair of ears 12 on the tube 4. hen the last is in its extended position, as shown in Fig. l, the cars 12 and lug 1 1 are spaced a substantial distance and in this space is fitted a wedge shaped locking lever 15, fitted and fastened at 16 to the forepart. This locking lever 15 can be swung into locking position, the wedge shaped portion firmly engaging between the pair of ears 12 on the tube 4, i. e., the forepart hinge member, and against the lug 14 on the plate 7, i. e., the heel part hinge member, which latter is spaced between the ears 12. Thus a firm, metallic, rigid and locking member auto matically compensating for any variation in the opening between the lug 14 and ears 12, is provided, interposing a firm metallic device to hold the last extended and affords a lock of suitable strength to withstand any strains to which the last is subjected. In

flexed. This eliminates the expense of in stalling a spring, greatly facilitating the as sembling or" the, last originally, and also speeding up the unlocking and flexing of the last, as no strength or strain is required to move the last parts against the tension of a spring or other resistant means.

This last can be made most economically," with a minimum of arts com risln onl v e; y

the two hinge members and a third locking device, together with the retaining rivets, pins, etc., and affording a hinge last con struotion which can be positively, firmly and rigidly locked in lasted position irrespective of the wear or space between the locking lugs and ears on the hinge members, or slight looseness in the pivot and yet which can be instantly unlocked and immediately flexed with a minimum of effort.

My invention is further described and defined in the form of claims as follows:

A hinge last of the kind-described having a tubular hinge member in one part, a plate hinge member in the other part, a knuckle joint for the last members, thesaid tubular member being slotted to receive the plate hinge member and united by a pivot at the (enter of the knuckle joint, a pair of look ing ears formed on the tubular member and extending laterally outward at one end thereof, a corresponding locking ear formed on the plate hinge member at the end adj acent to the tubular member, and a wedgeshaped locking member pivotally mounted on the forepart of the last for movement in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the tubular hinge member and movable manually into and out of wedging en gagement between the locking ears when the I last is in extended position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WALTER A. KREINTLER. 

